The saga of the Lipiński Stradivarius of 1715 continues in this sequel to the critically acclaimed A Violin’s Life. Again we include compositions that have a connection to this storied violin’s history and pedigree. After a close brush with tragedy when the violin was stolen in 2014 and recovered after a valiant police pursuit, the violin’s story begins another chapter.

A Violin’s Life Vol. 2: Mini-Documentary

Here are some random shots from the sessions in August 2015, and January 2016 for the Tubin Sonata.

In 2013, A Violin’s Life became a reality thanks to generous Kickstarter backers. The recording made the Billboard Top 10 in its first week of release, and went on to rave reviews and sales. The website became an important online resource for both the project and the dramatic turn of events in January 2014.

I’d always thought of this as a multi-part project, and with your help we’re planning on releasing A Violin’s Life, Vol. 2 in May 2016. As with Vol. 1, I’ll again be collaborating with the spectacular pianist William Wolfram, and the recording will be released on AVIE Records. The repertory will include:

– The Violin Sonata of Amanda Maier-Röntgen, the first wife of Julius Röntgen, who’s family owned the violin for decades.

– The Sonata for Violin Solo by the Estonian composer Eduard Tubin. The Estonian violinist Evi Liivak often played works of Tubin and other prominent composers from her home country, and including this little-known work commemorates her dedication to them.

– The monumental “Kreutzer” Sonata of Beethoven. Playing this same 1715 Stradivari violin, Karol Lipiński performed the famed sonata in 1840 with Franz Liszt at the piano.

We could’ve never imagined the incredible saga since 2013 that is only the latest chapter for this storied instrument. Help us make A Violin’s Life, Vol. 2. come to life- our goal is to continue to partially chronicle the incredible history and provenance of this great instrument, not only with another exceptional recording but with updates to the website as well. As before, all funds will be used exclusively for recording, production, and manufacturing costs. We are deeply grateful for any support you can offer!

With sincere thanks (again),

Frank Almond

Risks and challenges

With the notable success of the first volume of A Violin’s Life, we look forward to releasing another deeply felt and artistically important project. This is especially significant to our team in light of the dramatic events that followed the last CD, and the challenges that accompanied those events. With your help, we hope this will be one more “silver lining” to that amazing saga, and perhaps only the second recording in a series to come.